ABSTRACT
Participation in athletics has countless positive effects on those who directly participate and the communities and societies they function in. Athletes live healthier, longer lives and are likely to have higher self-worth than non-athletes. Eating disorder have unacceptably high mortality rates and health risks that can quickly become incompatible with athletic participation. Low energy availability may exist from inadvertent under-fuelling for the demands of the sport or may be a result of disordered eating or an eating disorder. Disordered eating and inadvertent under-eating can lead to health consequences such as amenorrhea and oligomenorrhea, lower bone density, and/or bone stress injury, components of the female athlete triad. Estimating the prevalence of athletes suffering from low energy availability poses some challenges. Early detection of athletes at risk is essential to successful interventions.
